Taliban deny having custody of missing US contractor

Published May 11, 2020
Taliban official said formally and informally the Taliban have notified US officials they are not holding Frerichs. — AP/File
Taliban official said formally and informally the Taliban have notified US officials they are not holding Frerichs. — AP/File

ISLAMABAD: Taliban leaders searched their ranks, including in the much-feared Haqqani network, and on Sunday said they were not holding Mark R. Frerichs, a Navy veteran turned contractor who disappeared in Afghanistan in late January.

“We don’t have any information about the missing American,” Sohail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman, told AP.

A second Taliban official familiar with the talks with the United States said formally and informally the Taliban have notified US officials they are not holding Frerichs. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated a peace deal with the Taliban signed in February to allow America and Nato countries to withdraw their troops and end decades of war, asked for Frerichs’ release during his meetings this week in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office.

In a statement on Saturday by the US Embassy in Islamabad, Khalilzad also sought Pakistan’s help in locating Frerichs. He arrived in Islamabad on Friday from Doha before heading to India in his pursuit of a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

He met Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to also press Pakistan’s assistance in getting the Taliban to agree to reduce violence in Afghanistan, where they have stepped up attacks on Afghan Security Forces but not US or Nato forces, in line with the peace deal.

Pakistan has worked with the US to get a peace deal with the Taliban. While it still has influence with the insurgents, a deep mistrust between the militant movement and Pakistan exists.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.